1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the treatment of plants to reduce injury due to exposure to certain environmental and handling stresses, and more particularly to the application of compositions to plants to minimize or prevent stress injuries. The present invention further relates to the treatment of plants which have been subjected to injury due to exposure to the identified stresses.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Plants are subject to exposure to a variety of environmental and handling stresses. Forms of stress which can adversely affect plants include stresses due to water deprivation, drought and excessive heat. Adverse effects may also occur during the handling of plants or plant products, such as in transplanting, rooting cuttings, germinating seeds, and preserving cut flowers.
It is desirable to treat plants to avoid any detrimental affects that would otherwise result under these circumstances. In order to be practically useful, a chemical composition used to treat plants against these stress injuries must be non-toxic to the plants, environmentally acceptable and relatively inexpensive. The present invention satisfies these requirements and provides for the protection of plants from environmental and handling stresses of the types previously mentioned.